The Benefits of Blogging for Mental Health

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet for medical information, notably through blogs and social media platforms, according to studies. Blogs have grown in popularity as a means of displaying internet content for the general public. It\'s important to consider why individuals establish and maintain blogs. The desire for affection, as well as the expressing of one\'s ideas, the drive to profit, the want to share knowledge and information, and the desire to communicate are which lead to writing blogs blogging.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Our growing Internet access has made current research and information gathering much easier. Consumers of information used to have to go to their local library or meet with specialists in person to get the information they needed. The same information may now be obtained swiftly from the convenience of one’s home. A blog is an online journal, or "frequently updated webpages where material (text, images, audio files, etc.) is presented in reverse chronological order." Blogging is  regarded as a  journalism, as well as a means of self-expression and social connection.

Blogs have lately grown in popularity as a means for average Internet users to obtain access to online content. According to a poll, the number of bloggers and blog readers is rapidly rising, making this field of online journaling increasingly worthy of scientific investigation. The number of research published on blogs has increased dramatically in recent years. We believe that maintaining a professional online presence for psychiatrists and mental health practitioners is becoming increasingly important as we advocate for patients and educate the public about mental health, based on patterns that we expect to continue as our technological abilities advance. This is especially true in psychiatry, where public ignorance regularly causes harm. Individuals' judgments about their own health care are influenced by the information they obtain on the internet, causing them to ask new questions of their doctors, seek second views, and change their entire attitude about their health.

II. BLOGGING AND BLOGGERS

The original purpose of blogs and blogging was to allow people to talk about their personal lives on the internet.  Blogging has developed from a  personal to a  professional purpose during the last decade. Professionals began writing for the whole public, rather than simply their friends and family, in order to sell their personal brand and business.

When you're excited about something, you want to tell everyone. Blogging is an excellent way to communicate, whether for fishing, photography, or marketing. When you write about something you're passionate about, you may connect with individuals from all over the world who speak your language and share your interests. If you like teaching, blogging may be a terrific way to connect with people who share your interests. You will not only learn more about the subject through blogging, but you will also teach others. You will learn since you will be seeking for new topics to discuss with your audience.

Through the development of online information, blogging can automatically lead to commercialization. Blog owners boost the exposure of their brand in a variety of ways. Adding new content to your website on a regular basis gives internet with something new to crawl, enhancing the exposure of your website in search results. Creating blog material for other industry magazines exposes you and your brand to new, relevant consumers. This exposure boosts the number of people you receive, which may then be converted into customers.

If you want to speak at business events or become an author, you may utilize blogging to establish authority. People will start to see you as an authority in the subject matter you blog about as you continue to blog about it. This recognition will lead to interviews, podcasts, and, eventually, invitations to speak and contracts to write a book. As previously said, your blog regularly supplies Google with new information to index. Each piece of information may be used to rank for certain keywords that will generate visitors to your website. Businesses may target both commercial and non-commercial keywords by combining static web pages with blog articles. Customers, those looking for information, and spectators are all potential sources of new business.

Blog articles are more enticing to social media audiences than adverts or sales sites, and they are more likely to be shared with their connections. By developing blog material, you offer yourself something to post on your social media sites, and you give your visitors more to share when they visit your website. Your content's social sharing will boost its visibility to your target consumers and bring more visitors to your site. Blog articles are another non-sales method for marketing your company You could reply quickly with a blog article if you were requested to do anything on social media. Responding with a blog post rather than a sales page for your products or services will be regarded as helpful and will draw the user to your products and services, especially if you include a strong call to action at the conclusion of each of your posts.

III. BENEFITS OF BLOGGING

Individuals and companies may both view their data online. So, what happens if your name is looked up? The capacity to build and control your online persona is one of the benefits of blogging. When people search for your name, they may come across your blog or author page on other blogs, as well as social media accounts. Reading your work will help people get to know you better.

When you blog, you are not only training others, but you are also learning. Before you can teach others, you must first educate yourself, so begin by knowing more about your subject. Regardless matter what you write, you will learn a lot about other businesses, such as online marketing. Whether you like it or not, you will need some marketing skills to attract traffic to your site. You'll learn more about email marketing, search engine marketing, and social media marketing.

When it comes to learning and enhancing your abilities, blogging is a great place to start. Those of you who blog in a language other than your native tongue will improve your language skills. You will be able to communicate with others who are speaking the new language. You will not only be able to write better in that language, but you will also be able to speak better when invited to participate in audio or video interviews. The capacity to connect with others is one of the most major advantages of blogging. You don't only earn followers on social media or email subscribers. You meet new individuals and become friends with folks you would not have met otherwise. Many people are astonished to realize that blogging might assist them in growing their fan base. Attending business gatherings will cause people you've never met to recognize you. They will be grateful for all of your efforts. Those you meet in the outset of your blogging adventure, in particular. If you keep your relationship with them, they will be your most committed supporters.

True specialists never refer to themselves as such. Others will handle it for you. You will be invited to participate in interviews and blog pieces that gather expert insights or recommendations as you earn notoriety in your profession. The latter will put you in contact with other professionals in your field, allowing you to be referred to as an expert more regularly. One of the keys to attaining expert status is to be helpful. While you do not want to start offering free consulting services, you do want to help as many people as you can in little ways. Answering a few questions here and there will boost your credibility. Blogging allows you to work from anywhere at any time. You will also have the opportunity to accomplish activities that you like, become involved in sports, and volunteer for community development organizations. If you prefer travelling, blogging allows you to view the natural beauty of the planet.

IV. BLOGGING STATISTICS

The global number of blogs is estimated to be 600 million. Blogging, which only began in the mid-1990s, has now grown to become one of the most popular forms of web content. This statistic helps to demonstrate the enormity of modern blogging. Justin Hall, one of the personal blogging pioneers, began writing about his life online in 1994. Blogs were once considered as a passing fad, yet after 25 years later, they've become an essential part of modern culture, threatening traditional media. Guest posting has evolved into an essential component of running a successful blog and is a tried-and-true strategy for link building firms. It is not only a simple way to reach a completely new, relevant audience and drive traffic back to the blogger's site, but it also aids in the development of potentially beneficial relationships with other bloggers in a specific niche. According to guest blogging statistics, 60% of bloggers write guest posts at least once a month. Instead of reading the entire post, most people will skim it, take a few crucial elements, and then depart. Of course, because this is an average statistic, it includes visitors who merely read the post for a few seconds. This can be due to a variety of factors, including Readers were unable to find what they were looking for. for or mistakenly clicking on blog postings. 54 percent of bloggers polled said they have seen positive results from blog entries of at least 3,000 words. 40% of blogs with 2,000-3,000 words reported positive results. Only 11% of bloggers had favorable results when writing blog entries of less than 500 words, for example. Long-form content generates 77.2 percent more backlinks than short-form content, according to research.

The target audience and the type of blog affect the frequency of publishing. If the articles are brief and fast-paced, you can post numerous times per day. According to the study, 22% of bloggers publish two to three blog articles per week. The target audience and the type of blog dictate the frequency with which they post

V. BLOGGING FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Long before blogs and social media were popular, psychologists hailed the uses of writing about severe or unpleasant events. According to research conducted by Austin psychology professor James Pennebaker, PhD, and others since the 1980s, Writing about feelings in the near term has been found to improve immune function, lower bp, slow heart rate, alleviate asthma and arthritic symptoms, and improve sleep in patients with metastatic cancers. In studies, participants reported less anxiety, less rumination, and less depressive symptoms. Deborah Serani, PsyD, a psychotherapist who blogs about mental health, says, "There's a lot of evidence supporting expressive language writing and journaling as being an enormously useful aspect for preserving mental wellness." One of the reasons she encourages her clients to participate in arts, such as blogging, journaling, or attending an art, music, or dance , is to help them express themselves.

"You don't want people to spend their 50-minute session just digesting what's going on in their lives," says Serani, author of the memoir "Living with Depression." "Rather, we should help them build a toolbox of ways to express themselves that they may use not only outside of therapy, but also in place of therapy at some point."

Blogging publicizes the writing process, and some studies suggests that this form of communal contact has extra psychological benefits. Researchers in a 2013 study of high school students that writing a blog was more effective than writing in a private notebook in increasing troublesome students' self-esteem and decreasing emotional discomfort. The inclusion of public comments on the blog heightened these effects. Others benefit from the anonymity of blogging because it allows them to express themselves freely without fear of being discovered by family and friends.

Of course, blogging isn't a cure-all. psychologists tell people who blog that anything they write about on their blogs should also be addressed in therapy. Users should also go through the comments area of blogs and other kinds of media, because some opinions can be exceedingly vicious and damaging. Psychologists says people should avoid some blogs and websites, or sites that discuss ways to commit suicide. If a patient admits to speaking with others online about their concerns, the therapist can look into the nature of the client's chats to see if they are constructive or harmful.

VI. AKNOWLEDGEMENT

This research was made possible thanks to the assistance, support, and inspiration offered by our instructors, who we admire for encouraging us to pursue our interests in web technology. We are thankful to Mrs. M. Suma Sri, Assistant Professor, Dept of CSE, SNIST; and Mrs. M. Yellamma, Assistant Professor, Dept of CSE, SNIST.

Conclusion

This study has offered information on how blogs can help people improve their mental health. Blogging can help to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The benefits of blogging about thoughts and feelings that develop from difficult or stressful situations include increased motivation and assistance in conquering one\'s own issues.

References

[1] S. Amy Novotney : Blogging for mental health June 2014, Vol 45, No. 6 [2] mentalhealthathome.org :Mental Health Benefits of Blogging: Updated Survey Results April 24, 2022 [3] www.scientificamerican.com : Blogging--It\'s Good for You By Jessica Wapner on June 1, 2008 [4] Blogging and Social Media for Mental Health Education and Advocacy September 2015 [5] Why Do People Blog? Exploration of Motivations For Blogging MA Xiaohui LEI Li [6] J. Schmidt. Blogging practices: An analytical framework. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2007, 12(4), article 13. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/schmidt.html.

Copyright

Copyright © 2022 Jakkula Sairam, R. S. S Shanmukh, V Vijay Kumar, Md. Azharuddin . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.